Memorial details

Memorial type
Serviceman / Servicewoman
District
Plymouth
Town
Plymouth
County
Devon
Country
England
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 03rd September 1989
    Attended by: AIR MARSHAL SIR JOHN CURTISS
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
25616

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Current location

THE HOE
Hoe Rd
Plymouth
Plymouth
Devon
PL1 2PA
England

OS Grid Ref: SX 47796 53899
Denomination: Undefined

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Description
TWO STEPPED BASE SURMOUNTED SQUARE PLINTH AND FIGURE OF THE UNKNOWN AIRMAN. DEDICATORY INSCRIPTION ON THREE TABLETS SET INTO THE FONT FACE OF THE PLINTH AND ONE TABLET SET AT THE FOOT OF THE STEPS. IN FLYING KIT, GAZING OUT TO SEA, HOLDING HIS PARACHUTE IN HIS RIGHT HAND.
Inscription
TABLET ONE: ROYAL AIR FORCE/ COMMONWEALTH & ALLIED AIR FORCES/ 1939 - 1945 TABLET TWO: TRIBUTE/ TO ALL MEN AND WOMEN OF GREAT BRITAIN/ AUSTRALIA, CANADA, INDIA, NEW ZEALAND,/ RHODESIA AND SOUTH AFRICA/ BELGIUM, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, DENMARK,/ FRANCE, GREECE, THE NETHERLANDS,/ NORWAY, AND POLAND./ THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA./ THE UNION OF SOVIET REPUBLICS/ & THOSE OF MANY OTHER NATIONS WHO SERVED/ IN ALL COMMANDS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE,/ COMMONWEALTH AND ALLIED AIR FORCES/ DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR./ THEIR COURAGE, SKILL AND DEVOTION TO DUTY/ WAS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER./ BY WINNING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN, THE MEN/ AND WOMEN OF FIGHTER AND OTHER COMMANDS/ SAVED THIS COUNTRY FROM INVASION IN 1940./ "NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT HAS SO/ MUCH BEEN OWED BY SO MANY TO SO FEW."/ CHURCHILL/ COASTAL COMMAND PLAYED A VITAL ROLE/ IN KEEPING THE SEA LANES OPEN./ THE COMMANDS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND/ THE FAR EAST MADE GREAT CONTRIBUTION/ TOWARDS FINAL VICTORY. FROM THE OUTBREAK OF WAR THE BOMBER OFFENSIVE STEADILY INCREASED AND AFTER THE FORMATION OF THE PATHFINDER GROUP IN 1942 VERY SEVERE DAMAGE WAS INFLICTED ON THE ENEMY BY THE CONSTANT NIGHT AND DAY OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT BY BOMBER COMMAND AND THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE. CONTROL OVER THE SKIES IN EUROPE IN 1944 WAS A VITAL FACTOR TO THE SUCCESS OF THE NORMANDY LANDINGS. THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF TACTICAL AND BOMBER COMMANDS AND THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE THEN SPEARHEADED THE ALLIED ADVANCE ACROSS EUROPE. THE INSPIRED LEADERSHIP OF BENNETT, DOWDING, HARRIS, PORTAL, SLESSOR AND TEDDER OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AND ARNOLD, BAKER AND SPAATZ OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE PAVED THE WAY TO VICTORY IN 1945. "NOW AT LAST BOMBER COMMANDS HAVE WON THEIR BATTLE OF EUROPE OPENING THE PATH FOR VICTORY AND FREEDOM FOR THE ENSLAVED COUNTRIES OF EUROPE." CHURCHILL 1945/ HONOUR/ 107,000 MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE/ 84,000 MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE/ 42,200 MEMBERS OF THE SOVIET AIR FORCE/ WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE TABLET THREE: THEY FLEW BY DAY AND NIGHT/ AND GAVE THEIR LIVES TO KEEP FOREVER BRIGHT/ THAT PRECIOUS LIGHT,/ FREEDOM TABLET FOUR: ROYAL AIR FORCE COMMAND LOSSES/ 1939 - 1945/ FERRY 209/ WEST AFRICA 461/ WAAF 464/ BALLOON 499/ ARMY CO-OP 634/ MAINTENANCE 662/ TRANSPORT 1,147/ 2ND TACTICAL/ 2,828/ FLYING TRAINING 3,8563/ SEAC/ 6,162/ TECH TRAINING 7,345/ FIGHTER 7,436/ COASTAL 9,145/ MIDDLE EAST 13,225/ BOMBER 58,378/ BENEATH THIS MONUMENT ARE THE NAMES OF/ MANY AIRMEN AND WOMEN WHOSE RELATIVES/ WISH THEIR NAMES TO REMAIN IN PERPETUITY/ HERE ALSO REST THE ASHES OF/ AIR VICE MARSHAL D.C.T. BENNETT C.B. C.B.E. D.S.O./ COMMANDER OF THE PATHFINDER FORCE NO. 8 GROUP BOMBER COMMAND/ REQUIESCANT IN PACE
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Figure
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Bronze
  • Plinth
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Granite - Cornish
  • Plaques
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Marble - Black
Listing information
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Reference
  • www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/98534
  • Air Mail Summer 1994; July-Sep. 1995.
  • This England by n/a Winter 2000.
  • Published:Air Crew Association Summer 1986; Summer 1991; Spring 1993; Winter 1994; Summer 1995.
  • FOR YOUR TOMORROW: BRITISH SECOND WORLD WAR MEMORIALS by BOORMAN, DEREK 77-78 Source: Image Library NIWM Published:SESSIONS 1995 YORK

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

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© WMR-25616

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